9 Things We Learned from 'Game of Thrones' Last Night

Jon Snow's resurrection cliffhanger is a tough act to follow, but Game of Thrones did a fine job picking back up. Here are the main takeaways from tonight's episode, "Oathbreaker." (If you need to brush up on what happened last week, check out our recap.)

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1) Jon Snow lives—and he remembers everything. While gasping his way back to life, Jon Snow looks upon his wounds, recalling that he was stabbed. Ser Davos and Melisandre are surprised to turn around and find him sitting upright. Snow doesn't understand why he was resurrected (he tells Davos "I shouldn't be here" and "I failed," to which Davos responds, "Fail again."), but Melisandre might have an idea. "The Lord brought you back for a reason," she told Jon, adding that Stannis Baratheon wasn't the Prince That Was Promised, but someone has to be. She may be starting to believe that he's Azor Ahai, the one destined to rule.

2) Gilly is about to meet Sam's family. This is the first time we see the couple in Season 6, and they are aboard a ship (which Sam's stomach does not appreciate). Gilly thinks they're headed for Oldtown, but Sam reveals that since there are no women or children there and it would be dangerous for her, he is actually taking her to his hometown of Hornhill. There, she can stay in the safekeeping of his family. Though his dad is tough, he assures Gilly his mother and sister will be kind to her. Gilly now also considers Sam "the father of [her] son."

3) Bran goes back in time again, and wants to stay there. Similar to last week's episode, Bran watches his father in his days as a young man. This time, he travels with a pack of men, one of whom is Mira's father, Howland Reed. Ned is met at the top of the hill at the foot of a tower which isn't named, but it seems to be the Tower of Joy, which is where his sister Lyanna was kept and supposedly died. Ned asks the guards, "Where is my sister? and they enter into a sword fight. If you look closely, the guards have Targaryen sigils on their armor, which aligns with the story that Lyanna's abductor (or lover) Rhaegar Targaryen kept her in the tower defended by the Kingsguard.

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When the knights are slain, a woman screams from the top of the tower and Ned begins to take the stairs. Bran wants to go as well and yells to his father. Ned seems to hear and turns around, but sees nothing. The Raven makes Bran leave the vision and warns: "Stay too long where you don't belong and you will never return."

4) Khaleesi's fate will be decided for her. Daenerys finally joins the wives of the dead khals, but isn't met with a warm welcome. Upon arriving, she's stripped of her garments, given a raggedy vestment, and taunted by the Dosh Khaleen matriarch, the widow of Khal Soro. Daenerys demands to leave but the woman tells her that the incoming caravan of khalasars will decide where she will go—if she gets to leave at all.

5) The Masters are on the rise again. Daenerys might have freed slaves in her conquests, but the overthrown masters are back on the rise and seeking their revenge, which may be easier for them now with Khaleesi gone. The Masters of Astapor, Yunkai and Volantis are all funding the Sons of the Harpy to wreak havoc on Meereen—a big battle may be in store. Varys meets with a woman named Vala, who helped the Sons of the Harpy kill the Unsullied and Second Sons. Now that she stands charged with conspiring the kill the Queen's soldiers, she could be facing death. But Varys, sly as he is, bribes her with a bag of silver and a chance to make a new life with her son. As they wait for his return, Tyrion awkwardly plays third wheel to Missandei and Grey Worm.

6) Cersei now has control of Lord Varys's "little birds." Sneaky Lord Varys is known for having ears all over the place thanks to his network of "little birds" across the Seven Kingdoms. In this episode, we find out that his birds are actually young children who snoop around to discover secrets for him. "He called us his little birds," a boy told Qyburn back at King's Landing. Qyburn then bribes the children with sweets, as Varys did, to come back and tell him "whispers." Cersei tells him she wants spies everywhere from Dorne and High Garden to the North so she can know what everyone is saying. Although she now has these spies at her disposal, Cersei can't seem to get back into the Small Council. She and Jaime try to crash a meeting, to no avail. Meanwhile Tommen, who set out to convince the High Sparrow to free his mother from her penance, has a heart to heart with the priest instead. So much for that backbone we hoped for.

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7) Arya sees again. Even though she's off the streets and back in the House of Black and White, Arya continues to train and stick fight with the Waif to truly become no one. After a montage of beatings and interrogations, she is finally able to defend herself in a fight, even while blind, reminding us she's still the badass we fell in love with. Jaqen H'ghar gives her a cup of water from the pool in the House of Black and White, which she knows is poisonous, but she drinks it anyway to prove her dedication. After a sip, she gets her eyesight back.

8) Ramsay Bolton has his next victim: Rickon Stark. Lord Umber, head of a nearby house in the North, pays Ramsay a visit at Winterfell to ask for help against potential wilding attacks. (Umber already knows that Ramsay killed his father, although Ramsay still insists that Roose died from poison.) Rather than swear loyalty to Ramsay as warden of the north, Umber offers Ramsay a gift: Osha, the freed Wildling woman who befriended the Stark children, and Rickon Stark. He even brings the decapitated head of Rickon's direwolf, Shaggydog, to prove the boy's identity. Umber hints that Rickon is a gift for Harald Karstark, who is present at the exchange. Karstark's father was murdered by Robb Stark, despite familial alliances. If he still seeks revenge, he can now take it out on Rickon. That poor boy.

9) Jon Snow ends his watch. In the final moments of the episode, Snow hangs his four murderers, including young Olly, whom he seems hesitant to let go. When the deed is done, he hands his cloak and Castle Black over to his friend Eddison Tollett. He storms off (sporting a man bun, mind you) and says, "My watch is ended." Mic drop.

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